This thesis will examine how Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) received their initial post-commission training beginning with the end of World War II and ending with the training program as of September 2008. Specifically, this thesis examines the reasons why there was no initial SWO training after commissioning and what changed to require initial training. The discussion also addresses the effects of changing the commissioning source to a mix of Naval Academy, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and Officer Candidate School. Additionally, the influence of technology and the bipolar world of the Cold War will provide insight as to the appropriateness of the initial training. Finally, the decision to conduct most of the initial training onboard ship beginning in 2003 will be analyzed, especially in light of the decision in 2008 to establish a four-week course in San Diego and Norfolk, which is mandatory for all ensigns to attend immediately after reporting to their ships. Although the world changed from the relatively simple Cold War paradigm in the past twenty years, history provides us with a means to understand why the Navy came to do business the way it did. Understanding why things occurred as they did, leads to lessons that will aid in making future decisions.

As the United States Naval Academy undertakes an institution-wide curriculum review, questions have been raised regarding the composition of course material, and the allocation of credit hours for its First Class Leadership Capstone courses. This study analyzes the needs of the Surface Warfare Officer Leadership Capstone Course at USNA. The purpose of this research is to use qualitative data to determine how the USNA SWO Leadership Capstone Course should be structured, and to determine the appropriate balance between leadership education and practical training. The research also determines whether or not there is a gap between current course content and the expectations of Commanding Officers, Executive Officers, Department Heads, and Division Officers in the Fleet, with respect to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes Ensigns should possess on the day they arrive onboard their first ship. In addition to holding focus groups with course instructors and faculty coordinators, interviews were conducted with prospective Commanding Officers, prospective Executive Officers, prospective Department Heads, and Ensigns enrolled in the Division Officer's Course at Surface Warfare Officer School Command, Newport, RI.

Navy surface force training has traditionally involved a combination of shore-based and underway training. Recently, however, a number of factors-budgetary, political, and environmental concerns, as well as concerns about quality of life for naval personnel-have prompted Navy training officials to consider reducing underway training time and increasing reliance on shore-based simulators. Current personnel practices, such as rotating crews rather than ships to forward-deployed locations, also suggest that requiring crews to complete their training on the ships on which they will be deployed may be impractical. Finally, technological advances have improved productivity and realism in modeling, simulation, and distributed learning.